Cold Chains Between Frozen Hearts
by Alice Rose White
Summary: What will happen if our beloved wizards of Fairy Tail were transported into the world of Hunters? When a heart-broken Gray Fullbuster meets the ever so cold Kurapika Kuruta, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. Love, jealousy, hatred and vegeance, all be tangled up together and is there an possible way to untangle it? YAOI, don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Synopsis :

What will happen if our beloved wizards of Fairy Tail were transported into the world of Hunters? When a heart-broken Gray Fullbuster meets the ever so cold Kurapika Kuruta, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. Love, jealousy, hatred and vengeance, all be tangled up together and is there an possible way to untangle it? Chains are supposed to connect things, right? And ice is supposed to freeze things. What will happens if the ice clashes with even colder chains?

A/N : This is a cross-over of Fairy Tail and Hunter X Hunter, obviously and the pairing is Gray/Kurapika. Why did I chose to do this pairing? The reason is simple, they're just my favorite characters. I'm not good writing fluffy romance stories – I'm never a romantic person – so please be warned. Please don't flame, or else I'll make you regret that you ever did. Kind, constructive comments are very much welcomed, though.

Disclaimer : I own totally nothing but this perverted, nonsensical brain of mine. Please don't sue me, I won't be able to keep my hands from killing if you do. Just kidding.

Warning : English isn't my native language, and I'm never really good at it, so please bear with , OOCness, very Kurapika-centric, kinda Gray-centric, but Erza is has a big role too, and Juvia – later

It was rather a hot day, the sun was being overly-generous and sharing it's warmth and light, unconsciously almost burning some living things in process. No wind was blowing, no moisture can be felt in the air and no plants were present to give off some cool air. All that can be seen was sand, some sand, and some more sand, for it was a desert.

Six figures can be seen walking, while two cats – or should I say exceeds – were flying in the dry air. A blonde teenager, who had her hair in low twin-tails walked as she fanned her face with her hands – an effort not to die just yet. The blonde had huge brown eyes, with thick lashes, a normal complexion any other teen would have and a curvy body with somewhat huge boobs. She desperately tried not to faint there, for she didn't want to leave the trouble of carrying a young woman to her friends.

"Are you really sure it's here? There's a chance that the fortune telling crystal doesn't even exists," she asked at no one in particular. The others around her didn't even bother to look at her, too busy trying to cool themselves. "I'm sure it's here," came a short reply from a woman with straight, long red hair. The woman was slightly taller than the blonde by a few inches, and was wearing a heavy-looking armor on top of a white blouse, and a short dark blue skirt.

The aura she gave off was of someone charismatic and strict, yet so kind and soft at the same time. Among all the others, she seemed like the only one who still managed to look calm in the extreme weather. "Is it always _this_ hot here?" this time, a young man with nothing but a pair of black shorts said. The young man was quite well-built, with a messy lock of spiky dark blue hair around his slightly pale skin and a pair of narrow cold blue eyes. Proudly painted on his chest was a dark blue logo of the most infamous guild in the city, not only known for their achievements, but well, for their destructive and noisy attitude.

Unconsciously, one of his hands slid on his shorts, slowly pulling down the last piece of the offending cloth on his body but a hand came hitting his face a bit too hard and stopped him immediately. "Don't you dare pull that off!"the red-head said. The bluenette looked away, trying his very best to hide the obviously hurt expression on his face. The pain on his now red forehead was nothing compared to the pain in his heart, slowly killing him.

It's sad, being hit by your first and only love, but it hurted even more, remembering how gentle the red-haired woman was to her lover. He'd been keeping his feelings towards the armored young woman walking along side him for seven years now – not even counting the seven years they'd lost in the Tenroujima Island – but never once the red-head even look at him the way he always looked at her. He didn't want to break the shaky friendship they had, so he decided to hold back any desires and feelings he had towards the oblivious woman.

His small, weak heart was ruthlessly shred into tiny pieces when the woman announced that she was getting married to her childhood friend – who even tried to kill her once, not to mention – but despite the utterly sad feeling flooding through his chest, he still gave her a convincing smile and congratulated her. He himself had never thought he would become such a great actor, who can even embarrass those award-winning actors out there.

No one ever knew about his suffering, he always acted cool in front of them, but behind them he let those tears fall and wished that it was all just a nightmare. He loved the woman so much, he wanted her to live a happy life for she had suffered long enough. But sometimes, the greedy and selfish part of him just wanted very badly to crush their relationship into pieces.

He had to hold back those feelings and just watch them cruelly breaking his heart over and over again, for he knew better than to destroy someone's life. He'd felt his life being destroyed so many times; the time when Deliora killed everyone he knew, the moment Ur sacrificed herself for everyone and many more that he really didn't want to watch the others feel it.

It hurts so much; he lost so much persons from his live, his love was there, so close beside him yet so far away, unreachable. He wondered, was he just cursed or something? But no, he was a positive man, he wouldn't forget all those blissful times he had just because a few hurtful events. But sometimes, just sometimes, the pain was so unbearable he just wanted to leave this cruel world.

"Look! I think there's something there!" said the blonde woman, Lucy, snapping the young man out of his dark thoughts. They quickened their pace and ended up standing before a heavy-looking door laying on the sandy ground. The door seemed to be made of stone, of hundreds of ages, framed by a stone frame with something of a foreign language written all over it. None of them could read the language, but even if they can, it would still be impossible to decipher the message for there were missing parts, every here and there.

"What's this?" said a pinkette with messy spikes on his head. The pinkette had a pair of big slit eyes and was wearing a black outfit, sleeveless on one side and long-sleeved on the other side and a pair of baggy white cotton pants. The pinkette suspiciously stared at the old door lying before them as his hands reached for the golden knob of the door but was slapped in the hand by a certain blonde's hand. "Wait! We don't even know if it's dangerous. I have a really bad feeling about this," she said as she slowly removed her hand that lay on the man's rough ones.

The man, who obviously never heard of the phase 'curiosity kills the cat', stubbornly turned the door knob, earning a few panicked shouts from his nakamas. A blindingly bright light was emitted from the now ajar door and their screams was the last thing ever heard at that desert on that fateful day.

GRAY'S POV

Have you ever opened a window in a flying aeroplane? Do you know what it feels like to be sucked out through the open window? Well, that's what I'm feeling at this moment. Right after that idiotic buffoon – a.k.a Natsu Dragneel – opened that damned door, the next thing we knew was that we're sucked into it before we can even blink once.

It was a rare feeling, it felt like everything around you were swirling and it feels like falling from the tallest building on earth with the speed faster than you should have. I was scared – who wouldn't have?! - because I wouldn't know what will happen in the end. I might just die from falling onto a hard surface, or I might even end up being here, falling through this swirling like this, forever. I didn't know what's worse but dying actually sounds good to me. I have no regrets – except the fact that my only love was unrequited – because I knew that I'd live my life the fullest, and over all, it was a happy life if I don't count in those death of people I love.

We were all screaming like mad – even the ever so great Titania who failed to even notice my love towards her was screaming because, of course, even being how strong she is, she's still a human being, after all. A beautiful woman, on top of that. After what seemed like a life-time, we finally spotted a tiny black hole, in the endless swirling. The black hole seemed to get bigger and bigger – or maybe it was just us, getting closer to it, I don't even know anymore – and after a few more minutes of falling, we found ourselves hitting a carpeted floor. We didn't die – I don't even know if I should be happy about that – and we found ourselves in a place that seemed nothing like the cheap houses we've been living at. We took our times to get up, I brushed those sand and dirts on my shorts and torso.

From the corner of my eyes, I can see Erza hitting Natsu on the head so hard that I thought – or rather _hoped_ – that it's going to break. "Where are we?" Lucy asked, a question that obviously none of us can answer. It was quite dark, but as dark as it was, I can still see that this place we're standing at, wasn't just some place that anyone could own. The place, even though was just a hallway, was decorated with all sorts of fancy and expensive stuffs you can never even imagine buying. Three doors were lined before us, each door with a silver plaque of number on it. The hallway was wide but rather small, for it only lead to a dead end near the spot we were currently occupying.

The door on my left suddenly opened, revealing a small woman with unhealthily pale skin standing as if expecting to be attacked. She had greyish hair that reached past her shoulders, with a bald spot in the middle of her head, and a pair of scary yet somewhat loving eyes. Two small rabbit teeth peeked out from her slightly parted pale lips. It was the simple white night dress that she was wearing that gave off the impression of her real gender, otherwise I would've thought that she's a man. Without even giving us a second to explain ourselves to the small woman, another door slammed open, this time the one on the left.

A big, muscular man wearing nothing but a pair of brown trousers emerged from the room, holding a fighting stance. The man had tanned features, messy dark brown hair and eyes of the same color besides than the disturbing brown mustache on his fierce face. He seemed to be waiting for something, an order, perhaps, as he cautiously eyed us with a guarded expression marring his face. Quietly, but slowly, the last door in the middle of the two now opened doors creaked open, revealing...

An _angel_.

Well, it _must_ be an angel. No one can possibly have that angelically beautiful face, being just a normal human. The person had short golden blonde hair that framed her (in Gray's POV) delicate, pretty features, a pair of big, soft grey eyes with thick, long lashes and a small, petite frame. She has pale, milky complexion and seemed to be wearing a set of green pyjama-like thing. Never once had I seen a creature as perfectly beautiful as her – believe me, I'd seen many pretty ladies before – but compared to this one standing before me, they all looked dull in comparison. Even Erza Scarlet, the woman I loved all my life seemed nothing compared to her. She still looked so beautiful, even with those sombre eyes, probably an effect of hours of crying. Crying? Who would've dared to hurt this pretty creature? Even the thought disgusted me.

I found all of my friends also staring at her, blinded by the beauty of this blonde angel. I felt like I wouldn't want to stop staring at her, even for just a while, for I was afraid that she would just disappear if I even blinked. She wore a calm yet ice cold expression as she opened her mouth and asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here?". Her voice were even colder, and it cracked – yep, she obviously had been crying for hours. Erza, being the polite one she'd always been blinked and said, "To be truthful, we don't even know. We were searching for an ancient artifact in a desert when we found an old-looking door that was soon opened by this idiot over here,"she glared at Natsu, who looked away, not daring to face the Titania's anger, "The next thing we knew, we're here".

The blonde didn't look convinced – but of course, even I wouldn't believe the story. She frowned a little, but then gave the small woman beside him an expecting look. "She isn't lying," came her feminine, soft voice saying. I released the breath I was holding and started to wonder how the woman knew. The brunette beside them relaxed a little bit and walked closer towards us. "Where are you from?" she asked, her face still with the cold expression. We exchanged glances and Lucy was the one who answered it this time, "We're from Magnolia. Have you ever heard of wizard's guild Fairy Tail?". The blonde before us tilted her head slightly, with her expression unchanging and said, "Fairy tail? Wizards? What do you mean?". I frowned and heard Erza said, "We are wizards from the guild Fairy Tail. You don't know wizards? We use our magical abilities to do security and all kind of dangerous works," Erza said as she looked at those clueless faces.

END OF CHAPTER.


	2. Chapter 2

KURAPIKA'S POV

_All I heard was the scream of the people I loved, my family and friends. It was dark inside the cupboard I was hiding at – no, the cupboard that I was _forced_ to be hiding at. Warm tears fell on my cheeks, my lips bled as I bit it hardly, an effort not to make a single sound. I'd been praying all these time, wishing that all of this will be over soon and everything will be just the way the used to be when I step out of this small cupboard. But.. Deep down inside, a part of me _knew_ that there'll be no more tomorrow for me, for us. I refused to believe this, I wanted to believe that my life will end like those fairy tales I've read, with a happy ending, beside the people I love. Yet another scream broke, this time, it was a really familiar high-pitched voice that have been scolding me all these years._

_Curious, I peeked through the small key hole of the cupboard, only to see a scene that I'll never be able to forget. It was mum, in a condition that I can hardly even recognize her at all. Many of her limbs are missing here and there, her beautiful face now marred with hideous wounds and holes, but her eyes were still unharmed, blazing scarlet with deep, deep hatred. I felt the urge to just scream and go there, stay by her side until the very last moment so that at least we can go together. I tortured my terribly wounded heart, by just watching more and stopping myself from doing what I wanted to do the most, remembering the promise she made me make before locking me into the cupboard. I promised her that I'll be alive, and no matter what happen, I'll never come out of the cupboard until our attackers are gone. More scarlet tears poured down my cheeks, no matter how hard I tried, I can never stop them from keep falling. I saw a huge human torso in front of my mother, a huge spider tattoo with the number 11 painted on it. It was my breaking point when I saw a pair of huge hands digging into my mother's eyes. I heard the loud scream that will forever haunt my life before everything faded into darkness._

I woke up with a start, my eyes scarlet and wide, my whole body sweating like mad. It took me less than a second for my mind to register what had woke me up this time and tears started falling down my cheeks. My whole body were trembling, I was shaking badly as I curled myself into a ball and continued crying. Why? Why do I have to see those cruel memories all over again and again? What big sin did I do to deserve being totured every night like this? It's been such a long time that I've been having this kind of nightmare, never had I slept seven days straight in a week without being haunted by those images.

"Mum..." I whispered longingly, almost inaudible. How I wished that she was here to comfort me, to say that everything will be all right and that she loved me. I'm tired of all these, I'm tired of being all alone, I'm tired of having to extract revenge from those damn spiders and most of all, I'm tired of living in this cruel world. I would've killed myself a long time ago, the moment after I buried all my clansmen; if collecting their scarlet eyes and avenging them hadn't been my responsibilty. I'd never regretted living for those responsibilities, but I can't help but wonder when will all of these be over.

I never liked fighting. When I was still a child, I was never a fighter – the weakest one at that. Had someone told me that my life will end up being like this, with me being a blacklist hunter and the head bodyguard of a mafia family, I would've laughed and claimed that the person who told me that ridiculous thing crazy. Never once in my wildest dreams I thought that my live will turn 360 degrees like this. If it had been my father, twin brother, or even my mother, who'd survived instead of me, it would be much easier for them to kill those spiders without even feeling guilty about it. Killing was one thing – even if it's a murderer that you're killing – but after meeting Pakunoda, I knew she was a human. I tried my best to think of her as a cruel monster, but no... She was just like me, stuck between the two choices of saving her beloved one, or just be selfish and do what she's supposed to. If she really was a monster, the negotiation between us would never have worked. But she chose to save her leader, even sacrificing herself for her comrades.

I'd live those five years alone, without another human's affection and care, I'd been so grateful that I was destined to meet Gon, Killua, Leorio, Senritsu and even Bashou. They're the ones who reminded me of how having people who love me feels like. But I myself chose the bloody path of vegeance, and never in a thousand years would I drag those people I care for down to hell with me. That's the reason why I always keep my distance, not even answering their phone calls no matter how much I really want to. I don't want to feel the crushing feeling of when someone you love so much just die and you can't do anything to stop them from leaving you alone in this world. Even if they are far away, I know that they're still there, breathing and I can still feel somewhat connected to them. Even if they hate me for being so cold and always ignoring them, there's still no death tearing us apart and I can still love them with all my heart.

I was rudely snapped out of my dark thoughts when a sudden loud screaming that comes with a loud thud from outside of my room broke the silence. I abruptly sat up, wiping away those tears on my cheeks and took a quick glance at the round clock on the wall opposites my bed. Time sure flies fast when you're crying; what felt like ten minutes had been actually two hours. I can hear some loud voice – it must be more than three persons. If they were to attack, they'd be a bunch of idiots for screaming infront of the bodyguards' room. I should not, however, underestimate them for this could be their plan, a trap to outsmart us. I opened the door to see six persons, with clueless expression on their faces, and two peculiar cats; one pure white and wearing a pink outfit while the other one was a bright blue cat wearing nothing but an olive green cloth draped around its small shoulder.

They stared at me with those blank expression still marring their faces as I also, stared back at them. One of them was a pretty young woman with long burning red hair, with a pair of sad looking violet eyes. The red-haired woman seemed to be wearing an armor, with the shape of yellow cross and something I don't recognize printed on it, a dark blue skirt that almost reached her knees and a pair of black hiking boots. Beside her was a seemingly younger woman, her pale blonde hair made into two low twintails, with a pair of big honey brown eyes. The woman was wearing a set of revealing clothes; a sleeveless shirt that had her stomach and almost half of her breast exposed, a short black skirt and a pair of what seemed like sleeves. There was a young man, with muscular built body and messy spiky pale pink hair. The young pinkette was wearing a black shirt with only one sleeve, a pair of white baggy trousers and a pair of simple slippers.

A small bluenette stood in the middle, looking around Gon and Killua's age. The cute bluenette had dark blue hair tied into twin-tails and was wearing a frilly white dress that reached her knees, also with the sleeve thingy. Another woman, this time with curly light blue hair, pale skin and a pair of huge dark blue onyx eyes stood beside her. The woman was wearing a pretty dark blue outfit that covered the whole of her body and a blue hat decorated with a cute butterfly. The last one of the group was another young man, spiky dark blue hair framed his handsome, slightly pale face. The man was also muscularly built, and was wearing nothing but a pair of dark blue shorts with white linings. Even with the first glance at them, I can tell that they're good fighters. "Who are you and what do you want?" I asked at the still clueless people before me.

The armored woman was the one who answered, that they themselves didn't know how they ended up in the servants' building of the Nostrade Residence. She told me about founding an ancient door and after the pinkette opened it, they're here. The story didn't sound very convincing, but I asked Senritsu anyways. Surprisingly enough, she told me that what they said were true. When I asked them about where they're from, they said something about wizards and fairy tale. I frowned a little, not that I don't believe that wizards exist – there's still a possibility on that – but it was all just too confusing. So, the red-haired woman told us about what wizards do, which was surprisingly almost like hunters. After a thick silence concoured us for a little while, the woman in armor fisted her hand in discovery and said, "I get it! That door must be the legendary 'Gate between Worlds'! So, that must mean that we're in a parallel universe!". The other had different reactions; some seemed relieved, some were scared and some were just clueless.

"I, too, have read something about the 'Gate between Worlds' and I believe it really does exists," I said as the memory of the ancient book of magic came back to my mind. "So... What are we going to do with them, Kurapika?" Bashou asked as he scratched the back of his neck out of habit. "The legend says that the gate appears again after an unknown amount of time at the same place where it sends you," I said, silently giving the clue that if they ever wanted to come back, they have no choice but to stay here. It's not my decision whether to accept them staying here or not, but if they really have no choice, they would've to apply as either bodyguards or servants. "Then, that means that we have no choice but to stay here," the armored woman said, as the matter-of-factly. Both Senritsu and Bashou shot me expecting looks, Bashou not caring about my decision while Senritsu was obviously hoping that I'm kind enough to let them stay.

I heaved a sigh, and said, without even a tiny bit friendliness in my voice, "It's not my decision to make, it's the boss'. If you really want to stay here, you will have to apply either as servants or bodyguards. I can tell that you're able fighters". Most of them started grinning, some glad that they have a chance to stay, while the others seemed thrilled with the word bodyguard. "I'll let you stay for the night, but by tomorrow, you'll have to start working. Bashou, please guide them to the empty rooms downstairs and... Get some clothes for him,"I said as I gestured at the half-naked man in the group. The bluenette blushed as he mumbled an apologize, while the pinkette started to tease him. Bashou nodded and started walking, dragging the entire group with him towards the stairs. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to get any sleep soon, and didn't want to start thinking about dying again, I silently followed them from behind. Senritsu soon closed the door of her room and started following me.

"They are noisy,aren't they?" she said, trying to make a conversation. I nodded as I started to descend the flight of stairs and said, "Could you tell, from their heartbeats, which job they'd apply for?". She smiled the soft smile she usually have on her face and said, "They're going to try being bodyguards. I also can tell that they're kind peoples, they fight for justice". "It's good, then. Since we're short of guards. We still have to test them, somehow," I said as we finally reached the empty room. I wouldn't give them personal rooms just yet, for they would have to really work under the Nostrade for that. They seemed okay with that, except for the blond woman, that is. It seemed like she appreciates her personal space, just like I do. The group wasn't quite polite, for they just ignored me, Senritsu and Bashou being there, and started to argue with one another.

END OF CHAPTER


	3. Chapter 3

NORMAL POV

It was a brand new day, the cheerful melodies of the birds went along with the cold breeze and made its way to the nearest ears. The weather was hot yet humid, just perfect for a human being to find peace. The trees swayed as the wind blew, as if shamelessly dancing for no one in particular to watch. At the Nostrad Residence servants' building, all mixed up in a somewhat small room, was eight beings, sleeping soundly. As early as it was, a young blond boy entered the crowded and somehow smelly room, with his beautiful face totally blank. He twitched seeing the messy scenery before him, and with an equally unemotional voice, he said, "Wake up". He stared at the people infront of him, all tangled up into something unrecognizable and most of them snoring loudly, but they didn't even show a small sign that his voice was heard.

He heaved a sigh and again said, this time with a much louder and angry voice, "WAKE UP!". Most of them abruptly sat up, eyes wide, searching for the source of the startling sound. Erza Scarlet quickly stood up and bowed in an apology, followed by her nakamas – including Happy and Carla – and in unison said, "We're really sorry, Miss!". Well, there it goes again, people are always thinking of him as a woman. He really don't understand, for he looked quite manly in his own eyes. He surpressed the anger that was towering in him and instead, with his tone never changing, said, "Mister. I'm _not_ a woman. You guys should get ready for the day, I'll introduce you to your employer. I assumed that you guys would be choosing to be bodyguards". As soon as those words escaped his lips, he turned around and left the crowded room, for he certainly did not want to see their shocked expressions any longer.

All those who occupied the room was left with their mouths literally on the cold floor at the shocking revealation. "Did sh- he just said that he's a man?!" Natsu Dragneel said, his voice loud and laced with pure shock. Lucy Heartfillia who was standing beside the pinkette with her shoulder-lengthed blonde hair slightly messed up, quickly shoved the guy's mouth so that he wouldn't make the girly-looking man come back, changing his mind about accepting them for the work. "Shhh! Don't you think it's offending if people obviously thought that you're a girl, Natsu?! Let's pretend that we never thought of him as a woman,"she said to her nakamas. All eight of them had a silent agreement – deciding that it's best for them to be _nice_ to everyone here and not to make any problems for this place is the only chance for them to go back to where they belong to. And so, they prepared themselves for the day, making quite an effort to try to look good in front of their new employer, since they had to wear the same outfits they'd been wearing since they _accidentally_ came here.

Somehow, Gray didn't really felt anything that _this_ happened. I mean, he'd been working with many kinds of unusual and deadly things ever since he joined Fairy Tail, so... what's there not to expect anymore? He shrugged as he looked at his own reflection in the full body-sized mirror infront of him. Since when did he have heavy eye-bags under his narrow blue eyes, and a deathly pale skin? He didn't recognize the man in the mirror at all. He looked like a zombie. Heaving a heavy, depressed sigh, he turned towards the door on the wall on his left side, only to find a beautiful red-haired woman standing infront of the closed door with her arms crossed on her chest. He released a surprised gasp, and backed away before hearing the woman said, "What's with the sigh?". Gray had thought that he was alone in that room, for everyone was already out to meet their new boss, but it seemed like he was wrong. "Err... Nothing... Just tired with all of this,"he said as he moved to seize the door knob open. Before he even had the chance to touch the golden-painted door knob, he felt a soft yet very strong hand of the red-headed woman gripping on his wrist.

"Don't lie to me, Gray. You've been like this since before. Please, tell me what's wrong,"she said, her tone still comanding. _I'd fallen in love with you since the first time we ever met but I kept it to myself because I don't want our friendship to shatter just because I'm selfish enough to make you mine. And then you came around and announced that you're getting married with that childhood friend of yours without even thinking of my feelings. I tried to forget everything but this thing's eating me that I want you so badly_, the words threatened to roll out of his tongue but Gray strongly decided against it, zipping his mouth tight. The thick, uncomfortable silence enveloped the two as both were trying to find courage to say something. A sigh was heard, it was from Erza this time, and she released her grip on Gray's wrist. "Look, I don't know what's wrong with you but... you've changed. Everything between _us_ had changed. We were never really close but we used to be friends... And now... If I ever did something wrong to you that made you become uneasy around me, please... I'm begging you, please forgive me," she said, this time with her voice soft and..._fragile_..

It broke Gray's heart, to see Erza being sad like that because of him, but this time, he decided that he should feel sorry for himself too. With his dark blue bangs hiding his sad expression from being seen, he whispered, almost inaudible, "It's not your fault, Erza. Not yours..". And with that, he left the room, a swirl of many emotions stormed and burned in his heart. His watery eyes was pinned on to the carpeted floor as he hurriedly walked, and he tried his best to stop the tears drop. He closed his eyes as he swiftly turned at a corner, only to bump into a smaller figure. When he opened his eyes, the only thing he could see was a big pair of black eyes – that somewhat looked really _wrong_. Only slightly taking note of the current situation, he found that he had fallen on top of this person who claimed that he was a guy. The blond underneath him wore a slightly surprised expression, as they both stared into each other's eyes, hardly breathing. Gray himself didn't know why, he just can't move his eyes away from the blond's, as if afraid that he would never have the chance to stare at them again.

It was a moment of silent between them as both of them had gone lost in their own musings. The moment didn't last long, for they were interupted by a voice that belonged to someone Gray knew so well, "Listen, Gray. I-". The bluenette turned his head to see a shell-shocked Erza, with her eyes wide and mouth agape. Before any words were spoken and before any movements were made, the red-haired woman left without a word. Gray, have gotten out of his stupid stupor, quickly got up, releasing the poor blond under him to also get up. "Listen, I'm really sorry for what happened.. I was hurrying and- ," he said, guilty rushing through him. "It's okay. But I think your friend misunderstood," the blond said, calmly cutting through his words. Gray took a deep breath, as he said, "I'll talk to her... Later". Gray knew that he should chase after Erza and explain this whole misunderstanding right away but he really didn't have the heart to. After all the conversation he had with the red-head earlier, he really needed a break from her.

The blond blankly nodded and said, with his tone never changing, "I was just about to call you and your friend Erza. Our boss is ready to see you". Without even bothering to wait for a reply from the other man, Kurapika walked away, silently commanding Gray to follow him. Gray silently followed the blond from behind, with a good distance from each other and found himself thinking, _What actually happened just now?_ Gray had felt himself unable to move or even think about anything when staring straight to the blon'd eyes in that distance, in that position just now. All those 25 years he'd lived, the only time he'd felt like that was when he looked at Erza for the very first time – when he was still 10. But it was all too ridiculous to make any sense, he couldn't just fall in love with the blond _man_ like that, can he? Gray thought that he was starting to loose his mind. It was just like those mushy romance novel he'd read – yes, he _did_ read that kind of novels, just to forget about his aching heart that was begging for love from Erza – where two strangers just happen to bump into each other, stared at each other and _zzapp!_ They fall in love. But things were not right in this case, the most important thing was that the blond was a man, for crying out loud. Okay, maybe he wasn't really sure about that – he'd just noticed that the blond was wearing something that looked like a skirt. Maybe he's a cross-dresser?

But Fred, his fellow friend from Fairy Tail wore something that seemed like women's clothing and even had longer hair but never once did it crossed in Gray's mind that the greenette was a cross-dresser. _Argghh! What the hell?! Why am I even thinking about this thing?!_, that's when he heard a low yet soft voice say, " We're here". Gray looked around, he'd almost bumped into the blond again, if not for the blond's words saying that they'd arrived to their destination, snapping him out of his own thoughts. Taking note of his surrounding, he found all of his friends sitting in the huge room. He felt Erza's gaze almost burning his face, but he chose to avoid it as best as he could. He cluelessly turned to the blond who was already leaving, deciding that it's rude not to thank him, "Errm.. Thanks". The blond said nothing, but Gray could see his head slightly nodding, acknowledging his 'thanks'. Gray took a seat beside Juvia, half-mindedly wondering what made his comrades so quiet.

The man sitting before them, with his legs crossed – in a very proud way bussinessmans do – and he acknowledged his name, Light Nostrad. After that, he didn't even bother to listen to the man's speech and question, for he was back to his twisted thoughts. This time, his thoughts were drawn to Erza, who he noticed was sitting in the middle of the front row, showing that she was the leader of the group – as always. So, it seemed that the red-haired woman had noticed him change into a different person. Erza was really a really sharp person, of course she'd find out. Who was he trying to kid? Maybe he wasn't such a great actor he'd thought himself to be.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Gray didn't know if he should be pissed about this. First of all, this was his very first day working as a bodyguard for this rich family and he had already been tasked to accompany the daughter of Light Nostrad, Neon, to her shopping trip. Gray had one thing about shopping – he never really liked shopping, to him, it's tiring and boring – he didn't understand those who make shopping their hobbies. He'd rather fight a huge monster rather than shopping with some snotty rich kid. Now, that's another problem.

In the two hours he'd spent on his job today, he'd already found out that the girl he was assigned to was someone immature, annoying, noisy, bratty... He could list more infinite reasons of why he should hate that selfish yet beautiful teenager but here he is, guarding her while she's trying on everything that she saw in the butique. "Don't worry, you'll get used to this," came a soft, melodious voice from beside him. He shifted his gaze from the clean floor to the short woman beside him, and asked "How long have you been working here?". A soft smile take over her face and Gray'd decided, that Melody was one of the kindest woman he'd ever met. Well, eventhough she looks like some villian from those disney movies he'd watched when he was a kid, this woman have an aura around her that makes everyone think that it's all going to be alright.

She's also soft, and she treated Gray much like her own younger brother. "It's been two years now. Well, you actually should be grateful that your first task had been accompanying Miss Neon for shopping. Mine was doing my best to keep her and myself alife," she said with a playful tone in her voice. That statement made Gray think, didn't he just thought about that just now? It made Gray wonder if the short woman could read minds or something. "I read heartbeats," she stated. A frown marred Gray's feature as he asked, "Heartbeats?". The small woman nodded, with the soft smile never leaving her pale face and said, "Yes, heartbeats. And yours tells me that you don't like Miss Neon".

Gray smirked, silently noting that it'd be dangerous if the woman could tell what he's thinking. Trying to change the topic, Gray suddenly said as he absent-mindedly watched his boss showing her new pink dress to him, "Um.. Hey, can I ask you something? How long have you known Kurapika?". Gray made an effort to keep his widening eyes in skull as he thought to himself, _Where the hell did that came from?_ The question just randomly popped up in Gray's mind, he didn't mean to ask it out loud but it's too late to back off now. "We both started working here on the same day, two years ago. He's just a newbie on that time but in a matter of week – after the current boss of that time died – he was chosen as the head bodyguard," she said, her voice laced with respect towards the subject of the conversation.

If Gray had regretted that he'd ever brought this topic up, he didn't anymore. It somehow piqued his interest, of how someone as fragile-looking as Kurapika could be chosen as the head bodyguard in such a short time. "Well, he must be a strong person if that's so," he said. The woman nodded, and said, "Well, he really is. Consider it as an advice but don't ever come between him and his goals. I don't think you will have long to live if you ever do so". Gray raised an eyebrow, perplexed by how serious the woman was on that time. "Goal?". Gray saw guiltiness in the woman's eyes, and soon she said, "No, you should ask that to him yourself".

Just as Gray opened his mouth to say something, an annoying high-pitched voice interrupted their conversation, "Let's go to that shop!"Neon said as she literally ran out of the shop. Gray let out an impatient groan but followed her anyway, with Melody walking beside him. "Come on, you've got to tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone about it. I'm really good at keeping secrets,"hearing her new friend saying that in such a childish fashion made Melody start to consider if she really could tell the bluenette. "Fine. He wants revenge for his dead clansmen," Melody whispered into Gray's ear as he bent down his back to the same level as the woman. Gray's eyes widened – that story sounded somehow really really familiar to him. A siries of pictures flashed in his mind; the Deliora, his family, the destroyed city, then Ur.

Ur's last smile was something that Gray could never forget, no matter how long ago it's been. The smile was sad, but at the same time was also filled with care and love – it made him feel guilty for her death. One thing that he'd learnt from revenge that in the process of success, it takes more valuable lifes. Gray blinked and dismissively shook his head, he didn't want to think about this anymore. It seemed that he'd stop walking as soon as he heard that cursed word of 'revenge', and Melody was now staring at him with a sympathizing expression on her face. "You're once like him," she said, her voice almost inaudible at all. Rudely crushing the sad mood, the voice of his boss interrupted them yet again, but this time Gray thought it was good. He didn't need the woman to feel sorry for him; that happened when he was just a kid and now, he's a whole new person who would stop living in the tragic past and keep moving forward.

Both of them silently walked behind Neon Nostrade, as they drowned in their own minds. "My family was killed when a monster named Deliora attacked our city," Gray didn't know why, but he felt like he should and can tell the short woman about it. Gray rarely speak about this sensitive issue and his friends were too kind to pry off his past, but this time, he felt that if he tell this woman standing beside him, he would feel a lot better. The woman didn't say anything, she just silently yet attentively listened to Gray's words, "I was the only one who survived that attack and soon, a woman named Ur who founded me, took me with her as her student. He teached me ice-moulding magic and after only a short time, I decided that I was strong enough to kill Deliora".

Regret rushed through Gray, but he kept on telling the story, "It was in his slumber that time, and because of my stupidity, I woke him up. I was unable to defeat it and it almost destroyed the entire city. Then, Ur came and sacrificed herself for the sake of everyone's lifes. She locked the monster by freezing him with her own body and after that, I learnt that revenge brings nothing but more loss". They'd absent-mindedly stopped at another butique Miss Neon was interested in as Gray told the story. "Kurapika's just like you, clouded with revenge. His entire clan was massacred by a group of thieves called the Genei Ryodan," Senritsu said with the sad expression never leaving her ugly face. Gray never shifted his gaze from the marble floor beneath him, but he could almost feel the woman beside him giving him an expecting look, wanting him to say something. Gray heaved a heavy sigh, but not after saying, "I want nobody to be like me. Maybe I should talk to him – that is, if I ever have the courage to. You know, he's kinda scary and too cold".

Gray's teasing statement had lightened up the mood a little bit, and Melody found herself good-naturedly laughing. This young person infront of her is definitely a good man, and if he could ever make Kurapika forget his revenge, he's truly a great person.

END OF CHAPTER


	4. Chapter 4

NORMAL POV

It was during diner that Neon decided to go home, or more likely, agreed to go home after some ranting and a promise by Cassey, one of her loyal maids that they'll be going there again. It was truly a relief to say, being all day with his new young mistress had drained almost all of the energy he had in his body. Gray dug in the plate of noodles in front of him, completely ignoring the pinkette beside him trying to pick a fight with him. A red-haired woman sat at the other side of the table, completely taking time to finish her meal, exactly the opposite of what Gray had been doing. Gray would slowly glance at her sometimes when he had the courage to, only to see what expression the woman was wearing. The fourth time Gray spared a glance for her, she looked up to him, a smile found its way on her beautiful lips.

Gray immediately blushed and look away, it wasn't everyday that Erza would smile like that to _him_, of all person in the world, but Gray somehow felt his cheeks heat up and had to force himself to look away before Erza could notice. Gray saw a man with dark brown hair walking through the doorway, but not after hearing Senritsu's soft voice asking, "Where's Kurapika?". The man whose name was Bashou, Gray learned, shrugged before saying, "He's still with Nostrade-sama. Probably helping him with bussiness". Gray looked back at Senritsu, who had the expression of a worried plus disappointed mother crossing her face. She heaved a sigh and said, "I don't think he'd had lunch earlier. I'm not even sure if he had breakfast this morning".

Just as Senritsu finished her words, the person of the conversation walked into the dining room, his pale face still void of any emotions, making Gray wonder if he ever smiled. "You don't have to worry about me, Senritsu. I'm perfectly fine and I can take care of myself". He took the empty seat beside Bashou, closing his eyes – setting a prayer, probably – before slowly digging into his food, with eyes still purposedly closed. Gray watched as the blond spooned the the noodle on his plate and bringing it into his mouth before chewing it, like any other human beings would. Gray absent-mindedly watched as the blond repeated his action, as his conversation with Senritsu earlier started to play in his head.

_"__Kurapika might seem like that from the outside but..."Senritsu let the words crawl on his tongue as they sat in the limousine, with Neon and her maids sitting at the far end of the vehicle. They can still hear Neon's voice, excitedly chit-chating with her maids about the new-bought clothes but decided to completely ignore it. "I can tell from his heartbeat that he's not what he's portraying himself to be,"she explained. Gray arched a questioning eyebrow, turning to his left to face the woman's face, and asked, "What do you mean?". Cautiously glancing towards the three other occupant of the vehicle at the back, she said in soft whispers, "His heartbeat tells me that he's still lonely and scared, though he made himself believe that he's nothing but angry"._

Scared... It was the feeling Gray felt the moment the fact that everyone he knew had left him alone it him hit hard on the face. The harsh reality had made Gray feel like he's alone, and he's just afraid of knowing what future had in store for him. But then, he met Ur, and not to mention Lyon, and those two feelings left, making room for one, dangerous feeling to take over Gray's heart and mind. Rage. It was the rage that had kept Gray from realizing how lucky he was, to still have Ur taking care of him and taking him as her student. It was by pure rage that Gray had decided to kill Deliora when his logical mind had decided otherwise. Was Kurapika really scared like Senritsu told him? Was he scared of death? Or was he afraid of something else? Gray didn't think-

"Excuse me?"the two simple words had brought Gray back to the reality as he found himself blinking away those thoughts and looked around only to see everyone's eyes curiously pinned on him. He looked back towards the blonde, who seemed like the one who had asked the question to him. A sudden realization that he might've stared at the blond for a bit too long hit him, and he felt blood rushing up his cheeks, as he clumsily stood up and said, "Umm.. Nothing. I'm sorry, I need to go". Gray scrambled out of the small dining room, not daring to take a peek to see what kind of expressions his nakamas are giving him. Why? Oh, why does he always have to embarrass himself like this? Well, maybe it's his fault that he's constantly lost in his own thoughts like that. Taking a deep breath, he let those thoughts away as he released his breath. It will feel better if he completely ignored what just happened.

Night didn't come as quickly as Gray wished it would. Gray had spent the rest of his time just sitting around and watch as his friends play some card games with Neon, having decided that he had enough of Neon and her bratty attitude. When it was finally 10 pm that Neon went to sleep, leaving her bodyguards some time to rest before going to bed. Gray was once again drowning in his own thoughts as he brushed his teeth when Lucy decided to come into the bathroom – don't get it wrong, Gray had purposefully left the door open because, well, he's just brushing his teeth. Lucy collected all of her things that she accidentally left beside the sink before any other person could destroy it. "Hey, Gray,"the pretty blonde said. Gray gave her nothing but a lazy sound from the back of his throat.

"You know.. I'm not trying to pry off your personal problems but... I've noticed that you've been acting weird towards Erza for the last few weeks. I must say that I'd sometimes catch you giving her a sad look when you think no one's looking. And just today, you've been acting even weirder, as if trying to avoid her by any means," Lucy said, making Gray start thinking that she's not as dumb as he thought she was – she's actually very smart, really. Not knowing how to answer the blonde's question, Gray chose to keep silent as their eyes battled in a staring game, one determined and caring, while the other one filled with embarrassment and sadness. After a long while enveloped by this thick silence that Lucy can literally cut through with a knife, the blonde spoke, setting Gray off-guard with her correct deduction, "You _liked_ her, right?".

Gray found himself with his eyes wide, and his lips slightly parted, a second after the blonde's four simple words reached his ears. Loosing all the words that he'd ever learned since he was still a little toddler, they once again fell in a thick silence. "Lucy! What are you doing _alone_ here with Gray-sama?!"said an enraged Juvia Locser, barging in to the toilet room with her pale face red due to anger. "Juvia, I was just collecting my stuffs," Lucy said as he shot Gray a glance, that Gray deciphered as, _This is not over, Gray_. Lucy walked out of the bathroom, leaving the two bluenettes alone. "Don't worry, Juvia. She wasn't lying when she said that she came here to collect her things,"Gray said as he too, started collecting his toothbrush and all before walking out of the bathroom. "_Don't worry_?" said a chibi Juvia said with a dreamy look on her blushing face.

_Ooops...Wrong choice of words_, Gray thought, but decided to leave his 'admirer' be and continued walking out of the room. Gray wasn't an idiot, he knew what Juvia feels towards him, it was too obvious for any human being not to notice. But Gray had never felt the same towards her, like how Erza never felt anything for Gray. Gray would sometimes feel sorry for her, because he knows how exactly she feels, but he really can't return the feelings. Gray sighed, love sure is a big, twisted problem. If only Gray is the type who never falls in love. The thought suddenly made Gray wonder if Kurapika had ever fall in love. Well, the thought of someone like Kurapika actually liking someone like how Gray liked Erza was just...plain _weird_. _Dammit! Why am I even thinking about this?!_ Gray scolded himself before accidentally bumping into a person standing in front of him. "Hey! Are you blind, Ice Boy?!" Natsu, the person he'd bumped into of all people in this universe, brought his fist near Gray's face, threatening to punch Gray any time soon.

"Err... Sorry," Gray said, effectively putting Natsu off-guard as his fist slowly retreated to where it came from, and Natsu's angry expression drained into nothing but pure shock. Right, the Gray Fullbuster Natsu knew was someone who'd _never ever ever_ apologize to his nemesis, Natsu Dragneel. "Gray, you've been acting really weird since we arrive here," Natsu asked, eyebrows knitted together in nothing but utter confusion. The realization hit Gray, he really _was_ acting weird ever since they've been here. And Gray definitely didn't know why the hell did he kept thinking about that Kurapika all the time. "I'm not sure. It's nothing," Gray said as he crashed on to the soft matress, decided to completely ignore everything and get some sleep. He desperately need it right now.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"And Senritsu, Gray and I, will be attending the auction. Understand?"came the stern statement that had to make Gray arch his brows in confusion. "Huh?"he muttered. Everyone in the room turned to look at him, which made Gray cursed himself inwardly. "N-n-nothing,"Gray said as he looked away towards the window near him. "I'll repeat it once again," Kurapika said, not sure if Gray had paid attention to what he'd just said. It seemed like the bluenette have a tendency to keep losing himself in his own thoughts. "Bashou and Natsu will stay at the mansion and guard Miss Neon, Erza and Lucy will be in-charge of the main entrance watch, while Wendy and Juvia will watch the back entrance. You, Senritsu and I, will be in-charge of the auction,"the blond said, receiving a little nod from Gray.

"Ne, Kurapika. What about us?"Happy asked as he pointed towards himself and the white female cat beside him. When Kurapika's expressionless black eyes stared at him, he felt cold shivers run down his spine as he took some little steps farther from the scary blond. The blond finally blinked, and calmly said, "I think Neon-sama would like to play with you two". The male blue exceed timidly nodded, a nervous smile broke on his cute face of a cat. "Mission starts," Gray heard the blonde say, and soon, he can see everyone walking out of the room with different expression on their faces. It'd been almost a week they'd been working there, and it was nothing more than playing with their young boss, following her shopping and listening to her rantings about his father breaking his promises. They'd finally been given a job that might not be as boring, but Gray almost felt bad for Natsu who had to stay and guard Neon. Almost.

He wasn't sure if he should feel happy to get to enter the auction center, but he was sure grateful that he didn't have to perform his duty with Erza. Or Lucy. Or even Juvia. It would be troublesome if he had to answer those question Erza and Lucy had in store for him, and he's just not in the mood to deal with Juvia and her antics. Gray blinked as he spot black car in front of him – he must've walked to there without his mind registering it. "Gray, can you drive for us?"Senritsu said, a small smile on her pale face. The whole Genei Ryodan incident have taught her one important thing – Kurapika could be a _very_ reckless driver – just imagine if there's suddenly a spider in the car. They'd be dead for sure. "Okay,"Gray said as he circled around the car, trying to get to the driver's seat.

Just as Gray took his sit before the steering wheel, he heard the door to the seat beside him being seized open, only to see his blond boss sitting on the passenger seat. Gray had to suppress a groan, he was hoping that it was Senritsu who'd sit beside him so that the situation would be less awkward than it already is but...well.. Gray took a deep breath as he started driving out of the mansion's huge backyard, or whatever it's called, and their drive started with an awkward silence between the three of them, which did not seemed to affect the blond man beside him at all. Hell, had he ever felt anything at all? Gray looked at the small mirror in the middle of the driver seat and the first passenger seat and found the reflection of Senritsu's green eyes directed to him, as if trying to say something.

After a short time keeping her eye contact with Gray, Senritsu moved her beady eyes towards Kurapika, which made Gray look at the blond who had his eyes set on the window. Then, it hit him. Senritsu wants _him _to start a conversation with Kurapika. Gray panicly sent the small woman an unsure look, which was replied with Senritsu's eyes that obviously meant, _It's for the best_. Gray gulped to himself, and after a few minutes of convincing himself that he could do it, he took a deep breath and said, "Erm... So, Kurapika, how old are you, actually?". Silence. More silence. And finally, "Why would you ask such a question?".

A nervous bead of sweat formed on his forehead and Gray suddenly felt like a young teen trying his best to impress his date on their first date. "W-well, I'm just curious.. Well, you look around seventeen or so and yet, you are the head of bodyguards,"he said as he turned the vehicle at a corner. "Twenty-three,"he shortly replied. Gray nodded, even though he's slightly surprised because the blond seemed much younger. Well, Gray himself looked seven years younger than his real age. Not knowing what to say, he glanced at Senritsu through the front mirror for some help but the woman at the back of the car just nodded, a sign that probably mean that Gray had already did it well. So, he decided that he should go with the flow, "Umm... Sorry for the sudden random question but... What's your hobby? Well, if you have one".

This time, there was no awkward silence between them before the Kuruta answered, "I like reading foreign literature". Gray nodded, quite impressed with the blond's choice of activity, but somehow, it's expected. "Favourite book?"he asked again and it seemed like a very good question. Gray could see the blond's eye spark in interest at the subject of conversation, even though it was very slightly – it seemed like the blond was a bookworm. Figures. "Candide by Voltaire and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas,"he said as he finally turned his face to look at Gray in the eye. "French?" Gray didn't know why, but his instincts that rarely works when needed kept telling him that he should ask that question. To his utter surprise, though, the blond then nodded as an answer."What about you? Your hobby?" he heard the blond asked in a sudden.

Senritsu was surprised to be honest. Usually, if it weren't Senritsu or his friends asking, Kurapika wouldn't even bother to answer the questions but not only did Gray managed to pull an answer out of the blond, he also made the blond ask him a random question like his hobby. _Good job, Gray_, Senritsu thought as she tried her best to keep the smile threatening to take over her face away. "Well, I...don't particularly have a hobby but I enjoy fighting... with that Natsu," he said, deciding that it's the best not to even try to deceive the blond. "...Interesting," was the short reply from the blond. The building where the auction was supposed to be held – a eighty-two storey high building with the modern art of architecture, situated in the middle of the Yorkshin City – seemed as if getting bigger each meter Gray drove. Time sure flies fast when you're making a conversation with someone not talkative.

As soon as Gray parked the black car owned by Mr Nostrade at the place where a group of expensive-looking black cars were parked, the three of them walked into the huge building. Thousands of people in black suits and simple dresses can be seen roaming around the building, with different appearences and personalities, but with one purpose. The auction. "Well, the auction will start in fifteen minutes. I guess we'll just stand around here?" Gray said as he glanced at the watch on his left wrist – and yes, he's left-handed. Receiving the nod from their leader Gray started to lean against the wall covered by soft beige-coloured wallpaper with delicate patterns.

"Our boss said that he really want the scarlet eyes," he heard a man a few centimeters from him. Kurapika didn't even turn his head the slightest, but Gray can sense that the blond was acutely listening to the conversation of three male bodyguards. "Of course he do. The Scarlet Eyes is one of the most beautiful colours in the whole world. Thanks to the people of the Kuruta clan, the world now have such a treasure,"a skinny man with bright orange hair said. "I don't think anyone in the world feels grieve when the whole clan was killed. They say that the people of the clan are assistants to the demons, that's why their eyes turns red when enraged," a fat man with narrow Chinese eyes said.

Stop listening to their conversation, Gray moved his attention towards the blond beside him, who had his hands balled into shaking fists. Gray could literally _feel_ the blond's sudden rage, but before Gray found the courage to ask anything, he heard Senritsu's soft voice saying, "Ignore them, Kurapika. They know nothing". He saw the blond taking a really deep breath, his eyes tightly shut, and when he opened his eyes once again, he was completely calm.

END OF CHAPTER.


End file.
